The Black Stars
by xinaidebenihime
Summary: "Natsu let out another bloodcurdling roar. The hair all over his body stood on end as the skin began to tear, blood beading from his pores and materializing into solid half moons." A grief stricken Natsu goes after Zeref as his injured comrades fight for their lives. NaLu. T for violence/injury.
1. Natsu

_**A/N:** This was originally supposed to be a oneshot for _ DestinysRequiem _for her review of "Cuts & Scrapes, Smokes & Vapes" to thank her for brightening my morning. However, with the story elements, it looks like it's turning into a multichap. Probably just two or three though._

 _Let me know what you guys think!_

 _ **Request by:** DestinysRequiem_

 **Prompt:** _E.N.D NaLu_

 _ **Rating** : T - for violence and injury_

 _ **Summary:** "Natsu let out another bloodcurdling roar. The hair all over his body stood on end as the skin began to tear, blood beading from his pores and materializing into solid half moons."_

 _A grief stricken Natsu goes after Zeref as his injured comrades fight for their lives._

 _ **Word Count:** 2,718_

* * *

She'd painted the stars black.

Natsu had thought it was the dumbest thing. Teeny tiny four-pointed stars decorating each navy blue nail when they should have been yellow, or at the very least white. It made no sense for her to have painted them black…no sense at all.

Yet she did it anyway, and refused to tell him why. Scraping away the excess paint at the sides of her nails, Lucy had smiled in satisfaction at her work, and Natsu's brain had started to hurt. No matter how many times he asked, she would refuse to tell him.

Her calloused fingertips had stretched out as she fine tuned the design, giving Natsu the visual field to examine her left hand. The dark colours of her nails lay great contrast to the bright pink of her guild mark, something she'd happily shoved in his face back when he was too focused on other things to remember her name.

A few small silver scars from their various missions over the years decorated her knuckles, the back of her hand, and her wrist. As she flipped her hand over, palm up, Natsu noticed a large slash along her lifeline—thick enough to sever it in two.

 _When had she gotten that?_

Hopping up and nearly ripping her arm from its socket, Natsu wrenched her hand this way and that to get a look at the scar. He was flabbergasted that he'd never noticed it before…where the hell had it come from? He knew every scar that had appeared on his partner's body…

Needless to say, she'd punched him with her unpainted hand when he'd smudged the polish on her thumb. She'd always gone on about how it was her favourite nail…

The thumb that he ran over that nail now, came into contact with cold flesh. The unmistakable paint, the guild mark…he knew Lucy's hands inside and out.

But this time, it was buried in rubble.

Her fingers lay slack, open palm exposing that silvery scar he'd scrutinized a few days before. It was cut up with a few more scratches and bruises, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was Lucy's. The iron in her blood was sharp in his nose, but beneath the metal was the floral scent he'd come to know so well.

His body ran cold.

"Lucy…"

His voice cracked as his jaw tensed, biting back the sting in his throat and eyes. Losing all strength in his legs, he fell to his hands and knees, ripping up the concrete beneath him.

" _Dammit!"_

A scream building in his throat, Natsu turned what was once a piece of solid ground into rubble. The structural rods that reinforced the concrete screeched in protest and rang through his ears as he sunk his fist into the ground again and again and again.

He felt his muscle begin to tear and endorphins flush through his system. Slowing his assault on the floor, he began to rock on his hands and knees, holding back a snarl.

"Natsu. _"_

His head snapped up at the sound of his name. Seething, the dragon slayer managed to pull himself to his feet and turn to face the owner of the voice. Sluggishly shuffling in their direction, Natsu's eyes zeroed in on the figure.

" _You."_ He hissed.

A screeching scream ripped from his throat, reverberating off the walls and through the room. Various chunks of the building rattled as the vibrations sent them crashing to the ground.

With a roar, Natsu tore across the room, lunging at the dark-haired man. Fuelled by his pounding blood, the dragon slayer nearly ripped into his foe.

"You've gotten strong, brother," he whispered, rubbing his jaw. "I think now you may be able to kill me."

Pain tore its way through his body with each beat of his heart, carrying a massive amount of magic with it. Seeping into every cell, the hotter his body became, the more the magic seemed to affect his mind.

His jaw clenched and Natsu tasted blood. Running his tongue along the punctures his lengthening canines had made, the rose-haired teen didn't have much time to process what was happening to him. All he could seem to think about was the man in front of him, and his overwhelming instinctual desire to rip the fucker to shreds.

Keeling over suddenly, his back exploded. Every bone and muscle felt like it had snapped as Natsu screamed. His magic flowed—a magma searing each artery and vein—and crawled into parts of his body that he didn't know existed.

Because they had never been there before.

Hands digging into the ground suddenly, Natsu let out another bloodcurdling roar. The hair all over his body stood on end as the skin began to tear, blood beading from his pores and materializing into solid half moons.

His hands and feet flattened as the ignited nerve endings extended, accommodating the lengthening digits. He watched his nails and fingers morph into scaled talons that clawed at the floor as he struggled to stand. Breathing heavily, the pain began to subside, leaving him with a pounding headache. Eyes tightly shut to avoid the pulsating agony the light inflicted in his skull, Natsu gritted his teeth, bringing one hand to his head.

A thick set of horns was the source of his discomfort.

His eyes flew open, wide…

…and all he saw was red.

Details of the the surrounding walls were no longer visible, they blurred out of the corners of his eyes. Glowing in the center of his visual field however, was the source of his current state.

Zeref Dragneel.

Cradled in his hand was a familiar large tomb that instinctively, Natsu recognized as the book he'd been after before, and that they were after now. A small part of Natsu knew he should probably get that book from him, it was one of the main reasons they'd came here after all.

But that small part of Natsu had been shoved into the back corner of his brain by a much greater force.

The viciously ferocious Natsu had awoken with a blazing fire that had no rival. Stricken with an agony in his chest that only surfaced when it came to his closest treasure, this part of him consumed every thought, every muscle and honed his instincts.

The dragon was awake.

...

The blonde screamed bloody murder.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," a male voice rasped. Feeling the pressure tighten on what was left of her shoulder, she writhed beneath the weight that had been placed on her torso.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as the pain began to subside. Cracking one eye open, she swallowed heavily and cracked a half smile at the man who had saved her.

"At least—" cough, "—your stripping—" wheeze, "—came in handy—" whimper, "—this time. Huh, Gray?"

The black-haired ice mage smiled weakly. Black marks weaved their way from his right hand, up his arm, and sprawled out across the right side of his face and chest. Even with his glowing red eyes, Lucy could still see his kind and caring nature as he attempted to return her expression.

"Well, I feel pretty clothed with these marks…so I didn't really need it anyway."

Scoffing at that excuse, Lucy laughed. "As if you've ever needed an excuse to get rid of your clothes, Gray."

Needing to be upright, Lucy attempted to sit up by shifting her weight, but only ended up falling back down toward the ground again. Preparing for impact, she shut her eyes just as a warm arm wrapped around her back.

"I'm not going to let you fall."

Still breathing heavily, Lucy gratefully accepted Gray's help as he lifted her to her feet. Stumbling a few steps, Gray looked around frantically.

Running through the maze that had once been Zeref's castle—it was now more or less a giant pile of rubble—Gray and Lucy had gotten separated from their other guild members.

"I'm surprised…you found me…in this mess," she laughed half heartedly. Leaning heavily on Gray, Lucy brought her remaining hand up to her left shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

She groaned loudly as Gray nearly yelled at her, "What the _hell_ are you _doing?!"_

Lucy swallowed hard, "Trying to stay awake."

Looking down at his friend, Gray was overwhelmed with concern. Horologium had nearly dropped on him as he was looking for everyone else. If it he hadn't already been looking up at a balcony, he'd probably have a concussion right about now. The dark-haired ice maker had been surprised to say the least, but nothing compared to the shock he'd felt when he'd seen her missing arm.

Gary had managed to catch her as Horologium disappeared, apologizing exponentially for his inability to stay and make sure his owner was okay. Knowing that she was in good hands though put the clock spirit at ease as he returned to the celestial world.

Readjusting his hold on her now as they began to shuffle through the halls.

"What happened?" he asked, arm wrapping around her more firmly. They needed to find Wendy, and fast. Lucy had already lost too much blood and she didn't look like she could stay conscious much longer at this rate. Not enough oxygen was getting to her brain.

The most he could do was keep her talking.

"Well, I was looking for the book," her voice began to rasp, "when I ran into Acnologia."

Nearly choking on his own saliva, Gray sputtered and had to restrain himself from hacking. With the position they were currently in, if he jerked in any direction, the shirt that he'd tied around Lucy would pull at the clotted blood and she would most likely start bleeding again.

Not to mention it would hurt like a fucking bitch.

And that was a major understatement.

"Acnologia?"

"Yeah," she muttered, her brow furrowing slightly, "only I didn't know it was him at first."

Their heads snapped to the left of the intersection they had stumbled upon. A few loud voices—both male and female—echoed from down the hall, drawing the two in that general direction.

"He's a giant black and blue dragon, Lucy," Gray hoisted her up a bit as her body began to slack, helping her get her footing. "How could you not know it was him?"

Looking up at Gray, the irritated fire that was usually in Lucy's eyes when someone spoke to her like she was an idiot, sparked. Seeing that expression again had Gray internally sighing in relief. Even as battered and broken as she was currently, she was still Lucy.

Glaring at him, the blonde's jaw clenched, and if she'd still had her arm, she'd've decked him by now. Maybe she'd ask Natsu later, he'd happily oblige after all.

"Because he wasn't a dragon," she stated simply, "he was in a human form."

"…what?"

"Yeah," she grunted, keeping her eyes forward, "I was surprised too. He seemed to know who I was though." Her mind began to wander back to the room she was in before being teleported by Horologium.

She'd heard steps behind her when her hands closed around the book of E.N.D.. The relief she'd felt at finding the large volume had only lasted so long before a figure had appeared. Drenched in a black cloak with bright blue flame-like marks decorating his exposed skin, Lucy had tried to hide the book as she'd turned to face him.

"Well, if it isn't Layla's daughter," he'd lured, taking a few steps toward her.

"…how do you know my mother's name?" Lucy's fingers closed around the keys on her left hip, tightly gripping at Loke's. He and Regulus' power would definitely be her go best bet in a situation like this.

"There are only so many celestial mages in the world, Lucy." Stepping even closer, the cloak flowed behind him, revealing a torso wrapped in bandages and a missing left arm. His silver hair shone in the flickering candle light and his eyes narrowed with each step he took, pupils visibly narrowing into slits.

"Who are you?"

It came out in a whisper. She hadn't felt a fear like this in the years since they'd returned from the S-class trials. With the massive amount of energy that rolled off of him in waves, it was taking all of Lucy's strength to stay upright. The complete and utter terror that consumed her paralyzed every muscle, and left her clenching her keys tight.

A smirk flickered over his features as he came to stand only a few feet in front of her. His fingers came up to settle on her sternum, cradling what was left of Aquarius' key in the palm of his hand. There was a shift in his expression—smug satisfaction—as his eyes wandered, fingering where the key's shaft had melted away.

When Natsu had found out about what had happened with Aquarius, he'd taken what was left of her key and turned it into a necklace for her. It was the first thing that'd he'd ever really given to her that showed how thoughtful and compassionate he could be when it came to her grieving. She'd worn it ever since.

"That's not important," he'd said, hand moving to cradle her left wrist in his right hand. Inspecting her palm and fingers, Lucy thought she'd seen envy flicker in his eyes before his grip tightened.

"I'm evening the score," he snarled.

The next thing she'd known, Gray was over her, doing his best to stop the bleeding.

"So what makes you think he's Acnologia?" Gary asked, rounding another corner.

"The only person that I could think of that would know who I am, is missing an arm, and has a grudge against us, would be, Acnologia," Lucy huffed. "That and those marks and eyes are unmistakable."

"Yeah…but—"

Gray was cut off as the two lost their footing on a loose tile. Gritting her teeth as the floor shifted, Lucy's eyes slammed shut, hand flying to her shoulder in an attempt to ease the ache.

It worked for about a second before her raw flesh began to throb again.

"You saw the wound, Gray," Lucy hissed, "it was bitten off. Not ripped off, there was nobody else in the room but him and me. Just…"

Lucy trailed off, rubbing her face and eyes tiredly.

"I've got a feeling. It's him. I know it. It was the same presence and terror from Tenrou…it was unmistakably his."

After a moment of examining Lucy's expression, Gray nodded. Though there was a part of him that didn't think Acnologia could transform into a human, with what the guild had experienced over the past few weeks with the Spriggans, Alvares and Zeref…it wasn't impossible, and most wouldn't find it surprising.

"He killed Igneel though, why would he go after you? The score was already settled."

Lucy shrugged, "That, I have no idea about."

Gray was about to ponder something aloud when a blue blur caught his eye. Seeing it heading straight for Lucy, Gray intercepted the bulleting blob's trajectory, and Happy found himself burrowing into the ice-maker's chest instead of Lucy's.

"Lusheee!" he cried, "I lost Natsuuu!"

Pausing shortly after he began his burrowing, Happy seemed to then notice that he was not nuzzling the soft chest that began to Lucy. Looking up to see Gray instead of the celestial wizard had him bolting back and frantic.

"Gray! What did you do with Lucy! I swear, if you—"

"It's okay Happy," Lucy said softly, stepping out from behind Gray. "I'm right here."

Taking in his friend's appearance, Happy's usual namesake emotion faded from his face and eyes. All they reflected was worry as he floated over to her, taking in the stump.

"Lucy…what happened?" he asked, looking up at her with brimming tears.

Smiling gently and setting her remaining hand atop his head, she soothed him. "I'm okay. It's nothing to be worried about."

But her body deceived her as her words began to slur. Her vision started to fade as her head began to swim; the muscles in her legs finally giving out as she collapsed.

The last thing she heard before hitting the ground was the agonizing roar of a dragon.

* * *

 _Heehee. Hope that was alright, feedback is always appreciated._

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	2. Acnologia

_**A/N:** Alright guys, here's the next bit. Hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated!_

 _ **Request by:** DestinysRequiem_

 _ **Prompt:** E.N.D. NaLu_

 **Rating:** T - for violence and injury

 _ **Summary:** "Natsu let out another bloodcurdling roar. The hair all over his body stood on end as the skin began to tear, blood beading from his pores and materializing into solid half moons."A grief stricken Natsu goes after Zeref as his injured comrades fight for all of their lives._

 _ **Word Count:** 2,162_

* * *

"Goddammit."

Moving her hand to cover her eyes, Lucy did her best not to cry as her mind faded back into consciousness. The pain in her shoulder was still there, but it had dulled significantly and wasn't the reason for her current wave of tears.

It was the fact that she'd been so weak that she'd passed out again.

"God, I'm weak."

Rolling onto her right side and using her remaining arm to push herself up, the blonde let her head hang as she breathed hard. Looking around, she did not recognize her surroundings, though in a castle this large she'd've be surprised if she had ended up somewhere familiar to her.

"Don't you ever say that."

A flash of crimson in the corner of her eye had Lucy turning to face the fiery requip mage. Hair in a high ponytail and sporting a white wrap around her chest and flaming red pants, Erza screamed dangerous. If she was in that getup then she was serious.

Lucy didn't even want to know what she'd encountered that made her take out that blade of hers.

Watching her friend walk over to her and drop to her knees, Lucy was taken aback as she found herself pressed into the requip mage's chest.

"You are so much stronger than people give you credit for, Lucy."

Tears pricking her eyes, Lucy hugged Erza back as best as she could, relishing in the contact. There was something about being in proximity to those you cared for that helped to heal the soul. It was rare for Lucy to feel that way when she was growing up, but at Fairy Tail she'd found so many people who she could connect with.

Her heart wrenched as she pulled back.

"Erza…where's Natsu?"

The red-haired woman's gaze hardened as she stood up, offering a hand to Lucy to help her up.

"We're not sure."

By examining her friend's features as she spoke, and focusing on the feeling of dread in her gut, Lucy knew she was lying.

"Erza," Lucy said lowly, jaw clenching and eyes flaming.

A chilling battlecry echoed through the halls, rattling Lucy to the bone and pricking her skin. Shaking off the shiver, Lucy focused on the sound.

It wasn't hard for her to find out who it belonged to.

Noticing the change in her friend's body language, Erza made a quick lunge for Lucy in an attempt to keep her from running. But in her hesitancy to move quickly for fear of hurting Lucy further, she blonde slipped from her grasp as she bolted out of the room they were in

" _Lucy!"_

Ignoring the red-haired mage's protest of her actions, Lucy tried as best she could to sprint in the direction of the screams. The loudest sound was now joined by clangs and crashes, only fuelling Lucy's anxiety.

Just as she was finding her momentum—who knew arms were such an important part of running—her foot slipped again on a loose piece of rubble.

She barely threw up her arm in time to avoid a face collision, but the effort was unnecessary as she felt an arm wrap around her waist.

"You're just always getting into trouble, aren't ya?"

Letting out a sigh of relief as she was pulled upright, the warmth of the voice that reached her ears did wonders for easing the pain in her gut. The blonde was so relieved to see him again she found herself hugging the spirit before her mind registered his presence.

"Loke," she breathed, "I'm so glad you're safe."

She hadn't wanted to summon him when Acnologia showed up—since he had just finished battling with her with one of the Spriggans—since he'd gotten pretty beat up, but knew that he'd insist if she was in real danger. Happy to see that he had recovered quickly, Lucy pulled back to look him over.

And all he could do was stare at her shoulder.

"…Lucy."

Following his gaze to the bloody bandage, the blonde forced a smile, "I'll be alright, it's not a big d—"

It was her turn to be embraced suddenly as he felt Loke envelop her. Wide-eyed, Lucy could only hug him back as she felt emotions from him that she'd never experienced before. He always flirted with her and teased her, but what she was seeing now…

He had a true affection for her.

Not romantic—she knew how he felt about Aries—but definitely strong. A burning loyalty that could only be found within the heart of a lion.

"Don't you dare say this isn't a big deal," he rumbled, hand to her hair, "you are my keeper and this could've killed you. I should've been there."

"You can't blame yourself for this, Leo," Lucy said softly, using his true name only because she needed this to resonate with him. "This is in no way your fault, I promise you."

The two were startled out of their embrace when they heard footsteps. Ezra had finally managed to catch up with Wendy and Gray in tow behind her.

That explained how she'd gotten all patched up.

Wendy held out a tattered wad of cloth to Lucy. Taking the garment from the sky dragon slayer, the blonde's brow furrowed as she recognized her shirt.

And then looked down to see that she wasn't wearing one.

Or a bra.

Nope…her wardrobe right now consisted of a make-shift bandage bandeau, and yet, she was too tired to care at the moment.

Handing the shirt to Loke, Lucy asked softly, "Help me put this on?"

Careful so as to not agitate her wound, Loke pulled the shirt over his owner's head and down her torso, tying the bow behind her neck ever so gently as she thanked him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Gary nearly yelled at her, advancing and going to grab her shoulders. His hands stopped inches above them as he realized he could not perform his reflex action without hurting her, and instead he opted to glare.

"I need to find Natsu," she answered simply.

"Yeah, we're all wanting to get to him, Lucy," Erza started, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But that's not possible right now."

"Why not?!" Her face flushed as anger fuelled her system. Why wasn't she allowed to go find her partner? She could hear his cries of pain! Why weren't they doing anything!?

"Lucy."

The blonde redirected her gaze to the younger blue-haired female. Also with her arms crossed and a fierce expression, Lucy's eyes narrowed in response.

"What aren't you telling me?"

One eyebrow dropping, Erza frowned, "What makes you think we aren't telling you something?"

Sighing in frustration, Lucy nearly lost it. "Because you are right now trying to do whatever you can to keep me in one place, and you refuse to tell me what's going on with my partner!"

"Lucy," Wendy started, "we are trying to keep you in one place because you just lost an arm, and if we told you about Natsu you'd get yourself killed trying to get involved in your condition."

This statement only amplified her irritation with her family, "What? You think I can't handle myself just because I only have one arm now?"

Gray piped in, "No. That's not what we're saying. You suffered a severe trauma with tons of blood loss and amputation at the hands of Wendy. After a procedure like that you shouldn't be doing _anything."_

Glaring at her friends, Lucy stood firm. "I'd rather die fighting than just sit around and watch."

"Lucy, this isn't something you can fight your way out of," Erza started, "you need to—"

"Alright, that's enough. We don't have time for this."

The fairies' attention diverted from each other to the celestial spirit. Watching as his expression turned from relief of Lucy's wellbeing, to grim at the thoughts that were turning in his head, made Lucy anxious.

"What is it, Loke?" she asked softly.

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the orange-haired member of the guild's posture stiffened as he adopted a serious demeanour.

"I came here using my own magic in place of the Celestial Spirit King," he began, eyes focused. "He gave me information that was only to be revealed if Layla's seal had been compromised to the point that one would have to step in and diffuse the repercussions."

Wendy blinked and Gray cocked his head to one side. "Loke, you're being vague. Get to the point."

Letting out a long breath, Loke looked to Lucy.

"Your mother worked with Igneel to do what she could, but never in a million years would she have thought that there would be a mage powerful enough to summon the King to fight for them," Loke rambled. "If she had, then they would've made the seal with something other than the Zodiac keys."

Thoroughly frustrated now and anxious to get to Natsu, Lucy nearly exploded, " _Goddamn it Loke, just spit it the fuck out already!"_

Swallowing hard, he looked up to his master.

"Because Aquarius' key was sacrificed, the seal that Layla placed on the book of E.N.D. had been weakened," he began. "Something like that alone would not release Natsu's Etherial form, but there would be a drastic increase in his power that would seem beyond normal."

The four looked at each other, dread beginning to pool in their stomachs. Taking down a god with one punch and incinerating a previous foe who had everyone kissing the ground only a year before were only two examples of Natsu's exponential increase in power.

They looked back to Loke.

"In his released form, Natsu will hold a power equal to—or even greater—than Acnologia himself," he continued.

"Well that's good isn't it?" Erza interjected, "that means he'll be able to take him down, right?"

Loke shook his head.

"Natsu doesn't know that he has this power, and it's something he's never encountered before. Without the proper training to harness it, it will be more destructive to him than helpful when it comes to taking down an opponent.

"Moreover, Acnologia has prepared for this. He _wants_ Natsu to transform fully."

Lucy fingered the pendant on the chain around her neck, "You said that losing a key couldn't break the seal on its own, so we don't have anything to worry about, do we?"

Loke shook his head, "Not from that. But Acnologia knows how to release it completely."

"Why would he want to do that?" Wendy asked. She'd been so quiet Lucy had almost forgotten she was there. Glancing down at her now she saw the emotion flashing in her eyes. The tips of her hair began to turn pink. She was on the verge of dragon force.

The lion spirit's eyes burned, "Because if Acnologia kills Natsu in his released form and bathes in his blood…he will gain a power unmatched by any mage in the history of this world."

They could only stare in horror.

"Even…" Lucy started, "…even more powerful than Zeref?"

"Even more powerful than Zeref."

With her stomach sinking so low it took every ounce of Lucy's power to prevent herself from falling to her knees. Wendy noticed this change and moved to the blonde's side, working some more sky magic to steady her.

"So what do we do?" Gray asked.

"We kill Zeref, before Acnologia kills Natsu." Loke stated simply.

"Why, Zeref?" The requip mage's brow furrowed, "That doesn't make much sense to me."

"Natsu was a successful attempt at resurrection on Zeref's part. Weaved into his spell was the ability for him to continue living should Zeref die. However, there was another person dear to him that Zeref succeeded in bringing back prior to Natsu that didn't gain this ability. Therefore, this demon is tied to Zeref…so if Zeref dies, then do does he." Loke crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Things were starting to click in Gray's head. "Acnologia?"

Loke nodded. "Acnologia was the book before Natsu."

"So…" Lucy muttered, deep in thought. "Who was Acnologia to Zeref? What made him so important that he wanted to bring him back?"

Loke looked to the blonde. "Did you not notice the resemblance?"

Confused by the lion's question, Lucy wracked her brain for a few moments before it dawned on her.

Her stomach dropped.

The eye—though different colours—were the same shape. The hair—though different lengths and shades—was the same texture and style. The nose, jaw…overall bone structure _and_ physical body type.

"No," she breathed, finally losing her strength and falling to her knees.

 _No way…oh dear Mavis, please no._

 _"_ He can't be," she whispered.

"What?" Erza looked to Lucy and then Loke. "What's wrong?"

Gray kneeled down in front of the celestial spirit mage, "Lucy…what's he talking about?"

"Acnologia…" she breathed, "he…he's…"

Lucy was at a loss for words, so Loke spoke up to confirm her epiphany.

"He's Natsu's biological father."

* * *

 _Heehee. I love dropping bombs like that one._

 _Review! Let me know what you think! :)_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	3. Zeref

_**A/N:** Alright guys, here's the last bit. Hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated!_

 _ **Request by:** DestinysRequiem_

 _ **Prompt:** E.N.D. NaLu_

 _ **Rating:** T - for violence and injury_

 _ **Summary:** "Natsu let out another bloodcurdling roar. The hair all over his body stood on end as the skin began to tear, blood beading from his pores and materializing into solid half moons."A grief stricken Natsu goes after Zeref as his injured comrades fight for all of their lives._

 _ **Word Count:** 3,430_

* * *

Natsu could feel his mind slipping away from him.

With each attack he threw at Zeref, he drew on more energy. The more energy he used, the further consumed he became by the fire in his veins, and the less he was able to form a coherent thought.

It was disturbing.

But it was a part of him…he was E.N.D.. There was no way to control the new power that surged within his body…it was overtaking his will and his actions.

Glancing back once more at the arm of the one dearest to his heart, Natsu let go.

He let the magic engulf him.

...

It was a sight to see.

The massive amounts of magic colliding had completely levelled the building. No longer were there walls hindering the guild members' line of sight, as they stared at the battle before them.

The black and blue armoured dragon towered above them all, just as massive and terrifying as he had been on Tenrou. Unphased by the bright cyan flames that surrounded him, Acnologia's eyes shifted down to the small figure beneath him.

The black mage.

He stood before the mastodonic monster, gaze fixed on his glowing eyes. Behind him was a wall of orange fire, burning high and thick enough to obscure the landscape behind it. Palms raised skyward with his hands at his sides, magic was drawn into Zeref from the earth, sucking dry the remaining life present within the plants.

Rearing his head back, a high pitched shriek began to build as Acnologia gathered magic of his own to his mouth. The blue shone brightly as the magic compressed and was then released directly at Zeref.

Bringing his hands up to protect himself, the two masses of energy collided, creating an explosion that sent Lucy and her comrades flying back into the gravel.

"We have to stop him..." she breathed.

She moved to get up and take off in their direction, but was stopped by a hand grasping her wrist firmly. Turning back to glance at Loke, Lucy shot him a look.

 _Let. Me. Go._

"That will be suicide," he stated. "There's no way we could get involved and survive."

"I can't just stand here!" Lucy pulled against the lion's grasp in a failed attempt to free herself.

"We have to."

Lucy started at that, staring at Erza. The red-haired mage's gaze burned with a deep regret at her words, but her remaining body language was firm. "We have no choice, Lucy. We have to trust that Natsu can handle this."

She then looked to where Acnologia was.

Both the dragon and the black mage still stood, unscathed and unfazed by the attack. Both had been pushed back slightly from the blast, but aside from that there was no evidence of the deathly collision that occurred between the two only moments prior.

That was really unsettling.

"We step in if it's absolutely necessary," Erza whispered, "but I don't think we'll need to. He's Natsu after all."

Lucy's stomach sank, "But—"

The blonde's protest was cut short by a chilling shriek.

A blur of red burst through the wall of flame, bolting straight for the black dragon and knocking him off his feet. The large black-armoured body flew—colliding with one of the only remaining walls—and was left buried in a large pile of fallen stone.

"Holy shit," Gray muttered.

Lucy's heart ached.

Standing on the ground where Acnologia had been only moments before was a humanoid figure. He was nearly naked—the only remaining clothing being a tattered pair of shorts that barely seemed to stay on his hips. Fingers and toes had morphed into long, razor sharp talons, held in place by blood red scales that were consuming his skin. Already they had covered his forearms and calves and begun creeping up the biceps and thighs.

The red scales had engulfed his chest and neck, but left his stomach alone. The large horns that adorned his head spread scales along his cheekbones. He was panting, hard, and as his chest rose and fell, the armour adjusted to accommodate his moving muscles.

Behind him, sprouted form his back, were a pair of wings twice the length of his body. The same colour as the rest of his dragon-formed limbs, they extended to an impressive span as they folded back in after landing.

Eyes narrow and blood red, as they focused on their prey the pupils narrowed to slits. Letting out an inaudible hiss that rattled every body but his own, the man charged toward the pile of rubble, fangs aching to sink into flesh.

Tail flicking to the side, he maneuvered around the piles of debris easily as the large dragon pulled himself out of the broken rock. Letting out a series of small fire balls to divert his opponent, Acnologia shook off the hit and refocused on his target.

"Oh, Natsu," Lucy breathed.

The battle began.

...

To see Natsu fight as a dragonoid, was terrifyingly beautiful.

There was a grace to his movements unparalleled by anything Lucy had seen before. One flap of a wing sent him in a sharp turn around a swipe from Acnologia, and a swat of his tail sent the large dragon hurdling to the ground.

He seemed invincible.

Acnologia had gotten a few hits in and Natsu had a few deep gashes on his chest. Those however had been filled in by a few scales to stop the bleeding.

He was being overtaken. From his movements, Lucy wondered if he was even in there anymore. The longer the two fought, the more animalistic the dragon slayer became, and the more he began to take on a dragon form.

Poised and prepped to launch another punch, Natsu faltered for a moment when an attack from a previously dormant Zeref hit his back between his wings. Shrieking in pain, Natsu spun to face the black mage, fists flaming.

"That's it, come on," Lucy thought she heard Zeref mutter.

Natsu lunged at his brother, talons wide and arm rearing to swipe. As his claws sunk into his brother's flesh, Lucy thought she saw the black mage sigh in relief. Shaking that thought from her head, she winced as Natsu sunk his teeth into Zeref's shoulder, cementing his hold on the dark mage.

As tight as his grip was, Natsu had to let go when Acnologia grabbed him by the wings and ripped the dragon slayer away, flinging him across the totalled battleground. Kicking up a cloud of dust as he rolled, Natsu was a second too late to getting up as Acnologia pounced on him.

Pinning down the pinkette, the black and blue dragon released ball after ball after ball at his son, each more powerful than the last. At such a short range it was amazing that Natsu was still in one piece. Shrieks and roars echoed through the vast space as Acnologia continued his onslaught.

Only to be sent flying by another wave of Zeref's dark magic.

Having taken a few too many powerful attacks from Natsu earlier, Acnologia's strength faltered as his body succumbed to older Dragneel's assault. Gaining a good grip on the large dragon's head, Zeref began to suck the life from him.

Acnologia's armour began to crack and fall away as he reverted to a form similar to Natsu's—more man than dragon, but visibly inhuman. Lunging for his eldest son, the black dragon sent him flying back with a flap of his wings—a wave of magic accompanying the wind. Caught off guard, Zeref stumbled back as Acnologia pounced.

Rearing back his head again, he gathered another condensed ball of energy in his maw. Bending down to Zeref's chest, Lucy and the Fairies prepared themselves for the impact...

But it never came.

Breaking away from the spherical form, the magic cascaded over Zeref in waves, engulfing his upper torso in a bright blue light. Struggling against his father's hold, Zeref thrashed to free himself, but remained pinned to the ground by the blue energy. Rising from the ground, Acnologia turned to where he'd left a pummelled Natsu and trudged back.

" _No!"_ Zeref flailed, failing to gain the traction he needed to join the battle.

Ignoring the black mage's cries, Acnologia reached his target, towering over the pink-haired teenage boy. Curled in a ball, wrapped in his wings, Natsu didn't seem so ferocious anymore.

That wasn't going to work for him.

"That's all you got in you, kiddo?" Acnologia sneered, "You telling me that's all the energy you got to avenge that _busu_?"

Natsu's tail twitched.

Lifting and hurling the massive chunk of wall from his chest, Natsu's eyes zeroed in on the figure before him as he began to move. Acnologia shadowed his every movement, muscles taut and ready to react.

Lunging suddenly, Natsu dashed in and delivered an Iron Fist uppercut to his opponent's jaw. Unable to react quick enough, Acnologia let out a grunt as the force of the attack sent him flying up into a patch of smoke clouds.

In one swift movement, Natsu flew after him.

...

Black. Black. Cloudy. Black.

Close eyes. Sniff.

On the right.

Eyes open.

Red.

Lunge. Lash. Bite.

Blood.

Snarl. Claws in. Body shrieks.

Pain.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.

Back slash. Arm slash. Stomach slash. Leg slash. Wing slash.

Pain. Scream.

Fading red.

Black.

Falling.

...

"No," Lucy breathed.

From the sky in a ball of scaly limbs, Natsu's limp body plummeted to the Earth, followed closely by a bloody Acnologia.

" _NATSU!"_

Picking herself up from the ground, Lucy took off. Her muscles screamed from the abuse they'd taken, but she ignored the aches as she pressed on. Her heart raced as she saw the fire dragon crash into the concrete. The pursuing dragonoid barrelled toward his fallen enemy and Lucy screamed as the two collided.

Large clouds of dust obstructed her vision as she sprinted and the faster she ran, the further he seemed to be. Shrill shrieks emanated from the epicentre of the impact and Lucy could hear the talons digging into flesh. Squelches of punctures, slices of lacerations. Two different tones of voice were sounding, however, which did little to ease Lucy's anxiety.

But at least from that she could tell Natsu was fighting back.

It was then that Lucy suddenly tripped, toppling to the ground. White dots exploded across her vision as she landed on her amputated arm. She attempted to keep her mouth shut, but the mild frostbite—from Gray's efforts to stop the bleeding since he couldn't cauterize it—the blood loss, and the exposed, raw nerve endings were too much for Lucy to take.

She screamed.

The sound carried across the battleground, bouncing off the walls and echoing through the remaining halls. The blonde's cries died down in volume as the echoes continues, but still sounded with an agony unmatched by anything one had heard before.

It wasn't just the pain from her shoulder Lucy was feeling.

A searing ache spread through her chest as the fight raged on in front of her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she heard Natsu's battle cries, unable to help him. Rolling onto her back, Lucy curled into herself as her jaw clenched.

The sounds then stopped suddenly, and Lucy craned her neck to see why.

Within a massive crater in the center of the battlefield, lay Natsu.

Unmoving.

With Acnologia towering above him, there was no way he could get out of there alive...

If he was even alive in the first place.

Pushing herself to her knees, Lucy began to crawl toward Natsu, but pitched forward as her right arm gave out. A few more tears escaped her eyes as she lay there, powerless, unable to help.

"I guess I have no choice," a voice whispered.

Looking behind her, Lucy saw what it was that she'd tripped over in her pursuit of Natsu. She'd been so preoccupied, she hadn't even noticed the body that had halted her footsteps.

Zeref.

Up close he didn't look too good. He had more wounds on him than she'd expected, and they only seemed to be getting worse as waves of magic continued to wash over his torso.

"What're you talking about?"

The black mage turned to the blonde, a faint smile ghosting at the corners of his mouth.

"I didn't want to have to do this since Natsu should've been the one to kill me," Zeref said carefully. He seemed to be conscious of his words, forming and dictating each one with care. "Especially after everything I've done."

Lucy watched as the dark-haired man fought against the spell binding him, hands raising and hovering opposite each other. He blinked slowly, struggling to open his eyes again as his palms came together in a prayer position.

"I love my brother," Zeref whispered. "Take care of him, Heartfilia."

Mustering up the rest of his strength, the black mage clasped his hands together in a loud clap. A deep purple light shone from between his palms, illuminating his facial features and refracting light from his closed eyes. Lucy's own pricked as she realized what it was that had shone and caught her attention.

Tears.

One lone tear trailed from the corner of Zeref's eye toward his ear. Biting her lip, Lucy drew in a shuddering breath as the word's from his spell reached her ears.

"Spriggan Law."

Recognizing the familiar nature of his attack, Lucy quickly flattened herself against the ground, hiding her face in the crook of her elbow. Gripping onto a nearby piece of rubble, she managed to hold her ground as wave after wave of magic hit her. Though she rocked and felt like she was being assaulted by a brick wall, the blonde braced her foot against an exposed metal rod, securing herself to the floor.

Silence followed.

...

One.

Two.

Three.

Tentatively, Lucy peeked out from her elbow back to where Zeref was.

He was gone.

Where Zeref's body once was, lay a dark shadow ingrained into the rock—a deep black surrounded by scattered rays of dark grey. A magical nuclear shadow.

Lucy's stomach sank as she pulled herself to her feet. Laxus...Master...The First...Zeref...

 _Law_ was used and only worked against those that the caster deemed to be an enemy.

... _Did Zeref truly believe that_ he _was his own enemy?_

Swallowing hard, Lucy fought back tears...and failed. If that was true why hadn't he just explained himself? Why had he done everything he'd done? Why become _the Black Wizard_?

 _I love my brother._

Lucy's heart ached.

Finally reaching the lip of the crater, she peered into the depressed area, searching for Acnologia.

He was nowhere to be seen.

Sliding down into the hole, Lucy ran toward the ball of red and tanned flesh. Passing by yet another dark shadow imprinted into the stone, a small sense of relief washed over Lucy.

They were both gone.

Kneeling next to Natsu's crumpled form, Lucy's hand hovered over him, searching for an area that wasn't sporting a wound. Fingers coming to rest between his wings, Lucy flattened her hand against the red scales.

"Natsu?"

Lucy found herself flying back into the ground.

Looming over her, one large hand pinning her arm to the ground and the other with a firm grip around her neck, was Natsu.

Well...Natsu's face anyway.

His mouth, open, lowered toward her, white razors bared in threat. A hard hiss rattled her bones and tears escaped her eyes as she stared at her partner. The horns from his head had grown since they'd first sprouted and turned a deep black.

But it was his eyes that made her cry.

The burning fire within them that she'd always seen when he was angry, was no longer the fuel that strengthened his actions.

It was a consuming rage...and it was triggered by pain.

The agony lingering behind the fire was a hurt that gutted Lucy, evoking a new wave of tears from her that blurred her vision. Her chest ached for Natsu, the dragon who protected her, the friend that found her.

The man who loved her.

She knew. She knew how he felt, and it had irked her at first. She'd wondered about it, about his intentions, about everything. But he never changed, he never treated her any differently.

He simply...loved her.

He didn't need anything from her, he never asked. He didn't need his feelings to be reciprocated, or for her to give him anything. He was content to be around and be her best friend as long as she was happy.

How did she feel about him?

She denied it. He was a fire-breathing dragon after all...the farthest thing from boyfriend material. He was childish, and dense, and oblivious to the world...there was nothing about him that even remotely resembled her dream guy.

He was everything she never thought she'd wanted...and yet...

It had taken him leaving for her to question everything about their relationship.

Him leaving had hurt. The searing ache in he shoulder was nothing compared to how she'd felt when he was gone. The lulls were bearable, but when she'd see any sort of fire magic, or a cat around the corner...

Her heart would be ripped from her chest again.

If he was just her best friend, his absence wouldn't have had affected her to that extent. She'd miss him and want him to come back, sure...but to run after him the way she did?

She loved the idiot.

Staring at him now, consumed by enough pain that he'd allowed rage to overtake his body and senses...Lucy was overcome with such care she couldn't contain herself.

She pressed her lips to his.

He was parched, so they were rough as Lucy kissed him. Softly molding her mouth to his again and again and again, Lucy captured the dragon slayer's lips as her tears fell. Open mouthed with shuddering breaths, the blonde pulled her magic from her heart and gave it to the dragon.

 _I love you, Natsu._

Breaking away, Lucy rested her forehead against his, eyes still closed. Wracking her brain for something to say before what happened next...Lucy's thoughts turned to her lost arm.

"You asked me why I painted the stars black," she whispered, voice cracking slightly as she swallowed. Her voice was thick with emotion as she failed to suppress her falling tears.

"It's the colour of your eyes, Natsu," Lucy croaked, rubbing the side of her face against his cheek, lips brushing against his ear. "Your eyes when you look at me. Your eyes when you're passionate.

"Your eyes...when you're you. No matter what state you're in."

Pulling her face away from his, Lucy rested her head back down against the ground to await her fate at the hands of her best friend.

She felt something wet on her forehead.

Peeking out from between her lashes, Lucy's gaze settled on the eyes of the man hovering over her.

Tears fell as the anger faded, and Lucy watched as Natsu's face changed. His teeth began to dull, he brow smoothed out, but above all else, she saw and felt his mind return as he recognized the woman below him.

"Luce?"

Letting out a gush of air, Lucy let her tears break free as Natsu came back to her. Ripping his claws from the ground, Natsu reared back in an attempt to get away from the blonde, but found himself instead wrapped in her embrace.

"Natsu."

Pulling back, she watched as he took in her every feature, tracing each one with the back of his talons. They were slowly reverting back to fingers, though Natsu didn't seem to notice.

"You're alive..."

Burrowing into his hand—and forcing it open to cradle her face—Lucy's eyes closed as her fingers came up to lace through his.

"I'm alive."

Caught off guard then by Natsu's sudden movement, Lucy found herself wrapped securely within the dragon's wings as he hugged her to him.

"Thank _Mavis_ you're alive, Lucy."

Within the privacy of his wings, she felt four fingers angle her head to one side and a thumb tilt her chin up.

A warm mouth found hers.

Returning her kiss now, Natsu kissed her with a passion Lucy had never thought he could possess. Trailing the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, nipping and sucking on each before capturing both in a lingering caress...Natsu was intense yet chaste at the same time.

As he consumed her energy and gave his back in return, Lucy was so thoroughly intoxicated she barely managed to catch his words.

 _I love you too, Luce._

* * *

 _Well, there's the last of this E.N.D. NaLu prompt. Hope I did well with this one...I wasn't really in my element with all the fighting...so I hope I did all right._

 _Feedback is always appreciated!_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


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